Examines the efficacy of the Check & Connect student engagement model with general education students in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) who meet specific criteria for being at-risk for failing to graduate high school. Six hundred students in 10 comprehensive high schools were identified as the study sample; currently 275 students are in the treatment group. While the primary goal is to estimate the effects of the program on general education students at-risk for failing to graduate high school, impacts on a range of policy-relevant student outcomes are being assessed. Also, implementation analyses to address application of the intervention to at-risk students in varied settings (e.g., treatment fidelity, service contrast with the control group, and program costs) is being conducted. The project is carried out in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and ICI's role in the study is to provide training for Check & Connect mentors, the Check & Connect coordinator, and interested educators; and to provide technical assistance for implementation of Check & Connect and consultation about fidelity of implementation.

Addresses truancy reduction for the Chicago Public Schools by providing staff training on the Check & Connect student engagement model, ensuring the fidelity of Check & Connect, and providing technical assistance to district staff on implementation. This project is carried out in collaboration with the ICI project, Preventing Truancy in Urban Schools: A Goal Three Randomized Efficacy Trial.

Helps prepare individual students with disabilities in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area to enter and succeed in college. Students with disabilities often need extra support and advocacy to become college-ready, confident, and organized so College Prep/ICI works collaboratively with families and professionals on a fee-for-service basis to help bring about a calm, successful transition from high school to postsecondary education. The service helps students assess and build on academic and vocational aptitudes, evaluate and strengthen independent living and social skills, improve executive functioning skills, navigate the college admissions and financial aid processes, develop effective individualized educational programs (IEPs), understand accommodations and high stakes testing (e.g., AP tests, ACT/SAT), and connect with adult service programs and other resources.

Provides a school-based mentoring program that uses e-mail and face-to-face meetings to connect high school students to employees from the local business community. The purpose of the program is to connect youth with an employed, caring adult who can dialog with the youth about employment and provide information and resource related to employment.

Gathers and disseminates research-based information on the inclusion of K-12 students with disabilities in State-level assessments aligned to academic content standards, and provides technical assistance for States and Consortia to support appropriate inclusion of students with disabilities in existing and emerging high quality assessment systems.

Establishes and refines a comprehensive program of annual data collection from states on family support, and conducts longitudinal data analysis, policy studies, and dissemination activities to better understand and promote effective supports for families and individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) who direct their own support. The data gathered will be used to help federal and state agencies understand the current status and emerging trends in supporting families and individuals with IDD living in homes of their own or with family members (including consumer direction). It will also be used to compare and contrast services and expenditures targeting the person with IDD versus those targeting the family members with whom they reside, and to compare services for children versus services for adults with IDD.

Evaluates the effectiveness of the Check & Connect student engagement model as implemented in four large urban high schools in the San Jose (CA) Unified School District. The study sample includes incoming 9th graders in fall 2012 whose 8th grade school records indicate (a) participation in special education services in the category of emotional disturbance; (b) learning disabilities or ADHD and who have behavior improvement goals on their IEPs; or (c) risk of referral for special education services and school failure because they have at least one indicator each in the categories of behavioral risk, academic risk, and participation risk. An estimated sample of over 370 eligible and consented students is randomly assigned within schools to receive Check & Connect mentor support for up to three years, or to be in a comparison group not receiving Check & Connect mentor support. Outcomes for the two groups will be compared.

Examines the literature to describe how health care outcomes are measured for people with disabilities. The challenge is that most measures focus on the general population and do not include the special needs of people with disabilities. Furthermore, those measures that do exist for people with disabilities are typically specific to a subpopulation (e.g., people with intellectual disabilities) and are not appropriate for other subpopulations.

In this project, researchers from the Research and Training Center on Community Living assist lead researchers from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health to refine project research questions, identify experts to be involved in the project, and provide resources collected on health outcomes for people with disabilities.

Examines the intended and unintended consequences of states' large-scale alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). Federal law requires states to conduct AA-AAS for students who cannot meaningfully participate in a general assessment even with appropriate supports and accommodations. This study implemented a framework suggested by Lane and Stone (2002) in order to gain a better understanding of the consequences of AA-AAS in three states. Using the interpretive arguments and propositions suggested in Lane and Stone's framework, evidence was gathered through teacher and administrator surveys as well as classroom observations. This effort yielded two valuable outcomes: specific evidence that states can use as to aid in determining the technical defensibility of their AA-AAS and an innovative application of the methodology suggested by Lane and Stone (2002) to better understand the consequences of AA-AAS.

Studies the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) among children in Minneapolis to determine whether children of Somali descent have higher rates of ASD than non-Somali children. The project involves public health surveillance of all children in Minneapolis between the ages of 7-9 by looking at school and health records. For all Somali children identified as having ASD through the surveillance activity, and a comparable number of non-Somali children, a case verification will occur through the clinical diagnostic process. The research is being conducted in close collaboration with parents and leaders in the Somali community.

Creates a consortium of states (Arizona, Minnesota, Maine, Michigan, and Washington) to address the validity of assessment results of English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities in statewide accountability assessments. Activities include:

• Examining the characteristics of the students and their performance
• Improving the process for making decisions about participation and accommodations via expert panel input and studies of decision making
• Developing principles to guide the assessment of ELLs with disabilities.

The information produced through these activities will help all states to develop validity arguments for their assessments and assessment practices for ELLs with disabilities.

Studies retention programs at community colleges in four states. Each college has strong programs for Career and Technical Education students who are studying for careers requiring a one- or two-year credential. The study aims to determine which programs are most effective at retaining which groups of at-risk students.

Conducts a national study of transition-age students with disabilities to identify the challenges they encounter in their preparation for post-high-school life, and the factors that may facilitate successful transitions from high school to adulthood. The study team from Mathematica Policy Research, the Institute on Community Integration, and Decision Information Resources Inc., is comparing youth with disabilities to those without disabilities to provide, for the first time, a clearer national picture of the gaps in the following areas: (1) The characteristics (personal, family, school) of youth with disabilities in public schools across the country; (2) the services, accommodations, and outcomes these youth receive while in school; and (3) what they do after they leave high school. The study will include approximately 15,000 students, including 12,000 students on IEPs, 3,000 general education students not on IEPs, and 700 students on 504 plans. To examine changes in youth experiences and outcomes over time, the study team will also compare this group of youth with disabilities to two groups studied in previous longitudinal studies. The project, which is part of the congressionally-mandated National Assessment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, is based at Mathematica Policy Research.

Develops high-quality assessment and instructional systems for students with disabilities whose progress is such that they are not likely to reach grade-level proficiency in the same time frame as other students. Activities include the development of (1) online professional development materials on accommodations decision-making, and (2) a set of strategies/guidelines for universal design for alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS).

Tests the efficacy of the Check & Connect student engagement model with general education students in the Chicago Public Schools who have chronic attendance difficulties. The two-year implementation study includes 300 students in grades 1-7; over 20 elementary and K-8 schools are involved. A within-school random assignment design in which students who meet established criteria for risk are assigned either to participate in the Check & Connect intervention or not participate in it is being used. The aim of the study is to (a) generate rigorous evidence about the effects of Check & Connect on attendance, truancy, and academic outcomes of general education students with attendance difficulties; and (b) replicate the implementation of Check & Connect with at-risk youth in a large urban school district. Among the analyses conducted will be examination of program costs for use of this intervention.

Produces a 56-minute (one-hour broadcast time slot) documentary on the work of Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger, an influential American academic and sometimes controversial leader in the reform of human services, particularly services to people with developmental disabilities. Through interviews with Dr. Wolfensberger and many of those he influenced beginning in the early 1970s, we will explore the Principle of Normalization, ideas that began the deinstitutionalization of people with disabilities, the concept of Social Role Valorization, citizen advocacy, and the history of services and perceptions of socially devalued people. Though Dr. Wolfensberger has had a long and distinguished career, this documentary will focus on his contributions of the 1960s and '70s, with particular emphasis on normalization. Phase 1 of this project occurred in October 2009 and include interviewing Wolf Wolfensberger and colleagues over four days in Syracuse, NY. Phase 2, to include additional interviews, research, script development, and production, is contingent upon funding.

Creates two 15-19 minute Realistic Job Preview videos on working with individuals with developmental disabilities for the North Dakota Department of Human Services, Medical Services Division. The first video will illustrate the realities of working as a direct service provider (DSP), providing supports to people in various settings through a traditional provider agency. The second video will show the work of qualified service provider (QSPs), also providing supports to individuals with developmental disabilities but working independently. Both videos will serve North Dakota's efforts to support community-based services and community inclusion for individuals with disabilities.

Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC) staff will create treatments and scripts for the two videos and spend at least five days shooting interviews and footage in North Dakota locations to include Bismarck, Fargo, and Fort Yates. Content experts from RTC will ensure fidelity of the project, identifying the best interview candidates and most appropriate sequences to illustrate the challenges, rewards, and everyday realities of working as a DSP or QSP. A professional crew will produce an estimated 15-20 hours of high definition footage that will be edited at RTC offices in Minneapolis. Closed captioned, master DVDs of each program will be provided to North Dakota's Department of Human Services along with Web-ready movies in various compressed formats.

Developed training modules for PACER Center, an advocacy organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which coordinates this ADD-funded effort to develop and disseminate culturally responsive, replicable training materials for families of children and youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) in all 50 states. The project developed four training modules for families on the topics: The Journey to Adulthood: What parents need to know (sexuality); Getting and keeping a first job; Skills for Effective Parent Advocacy; and Working for change: Using the power of a personal story. PACER partnered with parent centers, state action teams, and the developmental disabilities (DD) network to conduct trainings for 2,000 to 4,000 families in all 50 states using these materials. ICI assisted PACER to conduct and analyze a national evaluation of family support services. This included a series of focus groups with low-income, racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse families, and Web-based and print versions of a survey to gather national information about the support needs of diverse families. Finally, ICI supported PACER in evaluating project activities, trainings and products to describe the impact of the FAST project on the capacity of diverse families of children and youth with disabilities to find, use and evaluate family support services and to use those services to advocate for their family members.

Supports The Lewin Group in providing technical assistance to CMS grantees in the National Balancing Indicators project on direct service workforce data collection.

Analyzes and reports the results of a quantitative statistical analysis of the 2010 FINDS survey. An Executive Summary and Comprehensive Report of Findings will be prepared to inform key stakeholders of current views of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), their family members, and caregivers that can be used to influence policy and social initiatives and to enhance The Arc's position as a leader in providing current and accurate information regarding the experiences, needs, and desires of the target population.

Creates an effective and system-level process to increase student engagement by utilizing a collaboration with existing partners. This process will be accomplished through a strategic integration of four research-based strategies for engaging high school students at-risk of dropping out of Fond du Lac Ojibwe School. These strategies include:

1. Implementing Check & Connect (C&C): A nationally recognized, research-based comprehensive student engagement intervention,
2. Embedding service-learning as a continuous component of core academic curricula;
3. Integrating entrepreneurial standards and skills within service-learning projects focused on addressing community needs; and
4. Implementing a youth leadership group to support on-going student voice and leadership.

Establishes an inclusive and comprehensive model for engaging and retaining students with intellectual disabilities in higher education programs. Building on the Check & Connect model, this demonstration project is developing a postsecondary model providing Check & Connect coaches to work with college students with intellectual disabilities to address their persistence, engagement, and successful completion. The project focuses on academic engagement, social integration, comprehensive systems of student support, interagency collaboration at the state and community level, and successful program completion leading to positive employment and independent living outcomes. The project organizers believe that broad levels of collaboration are essential in supporting the outcomes of students with intellectual disabilities to achieve through their participation and eventual entry into employment and independent living.

Builds a comprehensive alternate assessment system based on the Common Core State Standards that includes project-developed tools and processes to support educators as they plan and provide appropriate instruction for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. These supports will help Individualized Education Program teams accurately identify the learner characteristics and make appropriate decisions about how each student participates in the overall system of assessments.

Conducts a needs assessment to learn how to improve the physical activity and nutrition of adults living in Hennepin County in HCBS Waiver funded group homes and day training and habilitation (DTH) settings. Hennepin County Public Health is the lead agency for this effort. Consultants from the Academy for Educational Development assisted Hennepin County to develop observational protocols to assess the food and physical activity environments in group homes and DTH settings, and to craft stakeholder interviews with foster care staff, DTH staff, disability advocates, and State and County aging and disability staff. The staff of the Institute's Research and Training Center on Community Living assist in developing interview protocols for adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, conducting interviews and site visits, and in reviewing the data and preparing final project reports.

Developed six literature reviews assessing employment experiences for people with different disabilities. The literature reviews are published within the Minnesota Employment Policy Initiative Policy Briefs.

Evaluated the effectiveness of Employment First Anoka County, a partnership connecting youth with disabilities to private sector opportunities. This public-private sector partnership emphasized an industry sector skills training and career education in a higher education setting. EFAC's workplan was demand-side- (business) driven and addressed the emerging labor and talent needs of private and public employers serving the north suburban geographic region. The project design of EFAC promoted multiple strengths-based career and employment development strategies. Therefore, the project sought to blend and braid expertise, funding, and services among its many partners to create multiple pathways to competitive employment.

Evaluated the effectiveness of the school-to-career transition program at meeting project objects and identified replication potential of transition and employment strategies used.

Partners with local American Indian artists to infuse culturally responsive American Indian visual and performing arts activities into K-8 (5-14 age range) arts education, and integrates American Indian arts activities into language arts, math, and science education. The project ensures that this American Indian arts-based curriculum is aligned with state and national benchmarks and content standards in visual and performing arts, language arts, math, and science; researches the effectiveness of the American Indian culture-based arts integration model in improving student academic performance in language arts, math, and science; and disseminates program results and outcomes for national and statewide replication.

Provides a variety of outreach learning opportunities from the Small Business/Entrepreneurship (SB/E) programs at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC). The project represents a careful review and study of the existing SB/E curricula by tribal members, administration, faculty, and Title III staff during the summer of 2009 to determine the effectiveness in meeting the needs of current and potential students and Fond du Lac employees. Results indicate that more extensive course offerings in business are needed to address the needs of the community as well as current students at FDLTCC.

Developed by the North Central Regional Resource Center (NCRRC) to help state and local agencies with data utilization and improvement efforts related to IDEA 2004. The passage of IDEA 2004 increased the need for state and local agencies to enhance their knowledge of and skills in using data for improvement, because this law brings data-related accountability to the local level.

Emphasis is placed on understanding how improvement is achieved and how educational accountability is demonstrated. Information and activities highlight how data are used to support the improvement planning process. The materials provide information and activities on prioritizing areas for improvement, setting targets and benchmarks, selecting effective improvement activities, evaluating process and impact, and reporting progress.

IT Kit, which has been in its second edition since January 2009, is part of NCRRC's training and is not sold separately. IT Kit was initially grant-funded; it is now printed on fee revenue from the trainings where it is used.

Provides state-of-the-art resources to help people with disabilities and their families find and retain quality Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). Specifically, the program updates and markets Realistic Job Preview films and other products on direct support recruitment, retention and training. On a fee-for-service basis, the program, which is funded through external sales, provides: technical assistance and consultation, training, assessment, and research and evaluation to state and federal governmental agencies, provider organizations and others facing these issues. Since 1997, the program has provided training and consultation in nearly every U.S. state and in five foreign countries.

Provides Web-based training resources for professional development for paraprofessionals -- including the Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium site, and the Paraelink training site. Paraelink is used in most Minnesota schools and many other schools across the nation.

Produced an original Realistic Job Preview (RJP) video program and four to six 30-second public service announcements (PSAs) for broadcast television. The RJP was directed toward traditional service providers who support people in community settings, including those who direct their own services. RTC Media, the project producer, collaborated with New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies (NYSACRA) to develop treatments and scripts for the PSAs. RTC Media handled all facets of video production and post-production. Drafts of both RJPs and PSAs were reviewed by NYSACRA at various stages in the editing process. All videos were closed-captioned. The relevant Web sites are http://rtc.umn.edu/rtcmedia/wegetitdone and http://www.directsupportprofessional.org

Provides contracted technical assistance services to state education agencies and local school districts to bring about systems change and high school reform that achieve and sustain positive outcomes for all youth.

Provides evaluation consultation, implementation, and training services to meet the evaluation needs of organizations such as schools, state and local education agencies, human service agencies, and workforce development programs.

Explored how people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) from immigrant communities access health and wellness services, why people from immigrant communities with IDD do not access health and wellness services, and identified promising practices that enable and/or encourage people with IDD from immigrant communities to access health and wellness services.

Collects, analyzes, and reports on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Part B Parent Survey. NCRRC's work on the Parent Survey consists of four activities:

1. Inputting data from both online and paper versions,
2. Analyzing the data;
3. Writing multiple reports, including what is submitted for Part B Indicator 8 on the Annual Performance Report required by the U.S. Department of Education, and
4. Preparing individual districts' reports for approximately 85 districts each year.

Developed and implemented work that included three major areas:

1. Developed and implemented an online automated Student Transfer Process,
2. Developed and implemented an online automated Administrative Assurance Process, and
3. Developed and implemented a District Performance Report.

Webinar coordination and hosting included the following activities: coordinate, set up, facilitate, and generate a summary report for seven webinar sessions. Maintenance, administration, and update work included four core activities:

1. Maintained and updated the Student Profile,
2. Maintained and updated the Rating Scales,
3. Maintained and updated the Teacher Survey Instrument,
4. Maintained and updated the Student Performance Report and Classroom Performance Report.

Disseminated findings of project research examining the degree of inclusion of people with ID/DD in community/civic organizations in four states and the effectiveness of two national faith-based initiatives aimed at inclusion. The study results, both for professionals and for community organizations and groups, were published with a view to increasing the success of these efforts in the future.

Examined why certain individuals with ID/DD have greater community participation and valued social roles, and why others have fewer such life experiences and opportunities. The study aimed to determine the agency factors and support structures that affect the increased community participation and valued social roles of persons with disabilities. Identifying these factors, as well as the factors that affect duration of relationships and participation, is critical to realizing the declared national goals of increased community participation and inclusion.

Held a series of 6 webinars (90 minutes each) for ANCOR, a national coalition of provider organizations. ICI's DSP Workforce Training Program provided customized (from a suite of existing presentation topics) training in the area of effective recruitment and retention strategies that target supervisors, managers, and administrative staff. Training formats were webinars, teleconferences, and workshops. The training was intended primarily for community organizations that work with people with developmental disabilities, helping them find and keep qualified direct support professionals (DSPs).

Synthesized the results and findings of the five-year, federally-funded Dropout Prevention Model project implemented by the Minnesota Department of Education with seven school districts in the state. These results were captured in a monograph and a documentary film titled "Journey to Completion."

Served a target population reading at or below a third grade level. This population was randomized into a group taught using the Wilson Reading System on the one hand and a control group on the other. Through direct and explicit reading instruction during 100 hours of contact time, the students' increased their reading ability and prospects for gainful employment. Preliminary findings supported the project premise.

Prepares future leaders who will serve children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), other neurodevelopmental and related disabilities (NDDs), and their families in health care, education, human services, and policy settings. The Minnesota LEND is an interdisciplinary training program that responds to the needs of these children and their families, bringing together faculty, staff and students from 11 disciplines across the University of Minnesota to:

1. Advance the skills of pediatric health and allied professionals to improve health care delivery systems for children with ASDs and other NDDs, and integrate services from health care, education, and human service agencies;
2. Promote innovative practice models that enhance cultural competency, partnerships among disciplines, and family-centered approaches to support; and
3. Provide training focused on reducing barriers to early screening, identification, and evidence-based interventions in home, school, and community settings.

The LEND is coordinated by the University of Minnesota's Department of Pediatrics and ICI, and funded by a grant to the Department of Pediatrics. The Minnesota LEND is a Partner Center of ICI.

Produced a broadcast documentary on individuals with intellectual and related developmental disabilities who moved from group homes or other congregate living arrangements into their own homes by choosing individualized supports. For use throughout New York and intended for national dissemination. The DVD contains the closed captioned 29-minute program, a 10-minute version, scene selections, and an "extras" section containing nine short selections.

Compiled, organized, thematically analyzed, and standardized each of the 17 individual case studies of Moving Mountains recipients. Qualitatively, the case studies were analyzed by theme to determine trends among progressive organizations related to developing the direct support professional workforce. This analysis led to best practice recommendations that were disseminated through scholarly publications and the NADSP and RTC Web sites, guiding other organizations to better recruit, train, and retain direct support workers.

Delivers online training developed by the project to help Part C Service Coordinators, LEA staff, and Service Providers understand important aspects of early childhood transition. This training, which is an online Part C to B transition training, is available to all States and jurisdictions across the country.

Described people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who live in their own homes or with their families, examining: 1) demographic, functional and health characteristics; 2) in-home services and supports; 3) access to health care; 4) services, devices and technology; 5) households with parents who have disabilities; 6) social roles and experiences of adults; and 7) the impact of recent changes in the DD Act definitions of disability on prevalence estimates.

Gathers Medicaid HCBS (waiver), ICF/MR, and Nursing Facility data, and integrates data from other national data systems to maintain a national and state-by-state program of current information on status and trends in Medicaid programs that finance institutional community services.

Conducted a review of current case management practices in Minnesota, as well as best practices and innovative case management models throughout the country, in response to the Minnesota Legislature's request for a proposal for reforming the case management system for all persons with disabilities under age 65.

Developed and delivered National Training for Frontline Supervisors from participating agencies, assisting community human service employers, families and consumers to recruit, train, supervise, and retain highly competent Direct Support Professionals and Frontline Supervisors. A training and technical assistance handbook was developed for use by project staff.

Offers a Web-based tool for state officials nationwide to use to evaluate state emergency preparedness plans and the extent to which plans address issues critical to supporting and protecting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during disasters.

Studied the access that people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) and their families have to consumer-directed community supports (CDCS). It used a participatory action research model with people who utilize CDCS to learn about their needs and challenges, how staffing needs are addressed, and how this compares to staffing patterns in traditional services.

Developed materials for states to use to improve the monitoring of accommodations for instruction and assessment.

Conducts a longitudinal, randomized control study to examine the impact of Active Support (AS) interventions in 20 group homes in Minnesota. AS is an organizational intervention that enables Direct Support Professionals in community settings to effectively support the engagement of persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) throughout their day and in their communities. Research on AS in the United Kingdom and Australia has shown positive outcomes for people with ID/DD.

Improves developmental outcomes for young children nationwide through applied research, training, and outreach (publications, events). CEED is an interdisciplinary center of the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development, and Partner Center of the Institute on Community Integration.

Organized the 2009 Symposium on the Arts & Disability, held October 30, 2009, at the University's Weisman Art Museum. The symposium, co-sponsored by a coalition of University and community organizations, brought together artists with disabilities, disability service providers, arts instructors, arts advocates, University personnel, and others from around the state to share ideas for supporting and increasing involvement of individuals with disabilities in the arts. It included a keynote address by Tom di Maria of Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California, entitled "Artists with Disabilities in a Contemporary Context," as well as panel discussions with arts educators, artists with disabilities, and community arts programs. The project also coordinated displays of artwork by artists with disabilities at the Weisman the day of the event, and at locations across campus prior to and following the event.

Curates ongoing and revolving exhibits of visual art by artists with disabilities at the Institute on Community Integration, celebrating art and diversity while supporting artists with disabilities. Each installation features a new set of art for approximately four months and is typically celebrated with an art reception for the artists, their family members, and staff, and attended by the Institute and broader University community. To date, the project has partnered with over eight organizations to put on these exhibits. This project was the springboard for the Arts & Disability Symposium, held October 30, 2009 on the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus.

Provides training in use of the Check & Connect student engagement intervention model to promote students' engagement with school, reduce dropout, and increase school completion. The Check & Connect model originated from a partnership of researchers, practitioners, parents, and students led by the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota.

Offers a nationwide, online, competency-based training curriculum to enhance the skills and knowledge of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), frontline supervisors, and managers supporting individuals with disabilities in community settings. CDS is offered in partnership with Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information, through Direct Course, which is a suite of online curricula for people providing services to individuals with disabilities that includes CDS and other curricula developed at other universities.

Assisted Thomson Reuters Healthcare Inc. in preparing reports for the Minnesota Department of Human Services by assisting with collection of qualitative and quantitative data from the Department of Human Services and other key stakeholders, and writing draft sections of the State Long-Term Care Profile Tool regarding supports for people disabilities of all ages.

Conducts research, provides training and technical assistance, and disseminates information on promising practices that support individuals with developmental disabilities to increase their independence, productivity, and inclusion through access to postsecondary education, resulting in improved long-term independent living and employment outcomes. The Consortium is a national resource for knowledge, training, materials, and dissemination about the participation of individuals with developmental disabilities in postsecondary education. A collaboration of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts - Boston; the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in Delaware, Hawaii, South Carolina, Minnesota, Tennessee (Vanderbilt), Ohio, and California; and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.

Provided training to the staff of Consumer Directed Services Network (CDSN) in Berkeley, California, focusing on organizational assessment and intervention methods as well as strategies for effective training that improve Direct Support worker retention. CDSN is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of the workforce delivering services and supports to people with disabilities through its support and training to disability-related organizations.

Analyzes and reports on results of annual Consumer Satisfaction Surveys distributed to individuals, families, and case managers receiving services from a specific service-providing organization, and produces a final report describing key findings and recommendations.

Identified and quantified costs for various AA-MAS options.

Developed, implemented, and evaluated a response to intervention model to measure children's progress toward school-readiness and academic goals in a seamless manner from preschool through elementary years for students in both special and regular education. Products related to this project appear on the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring (RIPM) Web site.

Assisted Thomson Reuters Healthcare, Inc. in supporting the legislatively-mandated development and implementation of an annual survey of service, recipients with the goals of assisting in determining the quality and outcomes of the services and supports provided under the DHS Disability Services Division's Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs.

Coordinates several components of the Developmental Disabilities Rotation required of all pediatric residents in the University of Minnesota Medical School, acquainting them with the design and implementation of community services for persons with disabilities and family-centered care and supports.

Conducts the first large-scale study of the effects of a self-determination training intervention with Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) designed to support the self-determination of persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) who have intensive support needs. Previous research suggests that ecological characteristics, including organizational climate, policies and regulations, and the skills, attitudes, and knowledge of DSPs significantly influence the self-determination of adults with ID/DD.

Uses a standardized competency-based training program to assess the extent to which training directly linked to validated skills and knowledge needed by Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) affects major outcomes of importance. Outcomes to be examined include: staff turnover and retention, staff job satisfaction, individual community inclusion, participation, employment and self-determination, and individual satisfaction and experiences with support received.

Examines outcomes of the Gateway to Adventure program of the Twin Cities organization Wilderness Inquiry, which teaches outdoor and wilderness adventure skills to persons with cognitive disabilities.

Delivers a curriculum offering culturally-relevant activities to facilitate the successful transition from high school to postsecondary life for American Indian students, and makes available implementation training of the curriculum to schools, youth, and community organizations nationwide.

Explored and documented - in a consortium of states (Georgia, Hawaii, and Kentucky) - effects of multiple methods of assessments that met identified student needs, to ensure all children were able to show what they knew in the grade-level standards-based curriculum based on appropriate and high achievement standards. Multiple reports of research findings are available.

Assists national education agencies and non-governmental organizations around the world in the systemic improvement of education programs, practices, and policies that impact children, youth, and adults with disabilities and their families in all economic development circumstances.

Studies health care coordination and its impact on the lives of people with disabilities. This longitudinal study project includes an environmental scan and a series of focus groups to generate and test a conceptual model of the critical elements of effective care coordination; a series of data analyses using administrative Medicaid data to identify and describe Special Needs Basic Care (SNBC) participants with physical disabilities, and to examine health care utilization for SNBC recipients; development of instrumentation to measure the critical elements of effective care coordination; and a mixed methods longitudinal study of SNBC recipients and health care coordinators to examine the interrelationships between the elements of effective health care coordination and outcomes such as access to health care, improve health outcomes, and cost savings.

Uses Web and Wiki technology to collect, preserve, and share the history of leadership in the developmental disabilities field over the past 150 years, and pass on to future leaders the stories of how we got to where we are today. The project is creating an online history course and repository documenting the role of leadership and leaders in generating the ideas, movements, and programs that have been foundational to the developmental disabilities field, and using Wiki technology it will engage others in contributing to the multimedia content of the history course.

Develops a sustainable, long-term inclusive service learning program that brings together K-12 students with a wide range of abilities to participate in service learning and bridge the gap between young people with and without disabilities and the world around them.

Examines the effectiveness of two different approaches to supporting community participation - those based in human services agencies versus direct approaches to community members. Social inclusion outcomes will be compared for individuals randomly assigned to:

1. No intervention;
2. Training methods for residential services staff, and
3. Direct engagement of civic organizations, faith communities, chambers of commerce, and other community organizations.

Developed a model for embedding American Indian culture and art into K-8 standards-based arts education, language arts, math, and science curricula for students in Cloquet Public Schools and the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School. The project created culturally-relevant art experiences for all students in these northern Minnesota schools while creating a learning environment in which American Indian and non-Indian students gained basic skills.

Conducted evaluative research on Minnesota's personal care attendant (PCA) program by: (1) analyzing legislation, rules, regulations, and policy documents to identify program changes and their impacts; (2) conducting quantitative analyses on PCA program data, including reviews of expenditures over time, changes in utilization rates and patterns, and other important program components to identify changes in expenditures, participants and program integrity; (3) evaluating other state experience with PCA programs under the state plan option and with cash and counseling programs; (4) analyzing Medicaid Management Information System data, particularly as it relates to understanding how, to what extent, and by which consumers PCA services are being used; and (5) gathering qualitative data from consumers through focus groups and surveys.

Maintains an interactive Web site designed to enhance the quality and quantity of recreation and leisure opportunities available to Minnesotans with developmental disabilities, to provide users with information on other community resources, and to provide users with opportunities to connect with others with similar interests.

Provides research-based knowledge to educators on the topic of instructional strategies that help middle school English language learners with disabilities achieve in standards-based content classrooms.

Investigated the effect on offender recidivism of adjudication for offenders with mental health diagnoses in the Hennepin County [Minnesota] Mental Health Court, in contrast with adjudication in the regular county court. Findings from this study were combined with those of three other mental health pilot sites that were also part of this study. Data from this study are available nationwide from Policy Research Associates.

Develops a postsecondary version of the Check & Connect student engagement model to increase students' ability to overcome barriers and persist to successful program completion in community college settings. Check & Connect is a targeted, intensive, comprehensive intervention model to enhance student engagement at school and with learning that has been validated with elementary to secondary level students. The outcome of this project is a model that addresses persistence at the community college level and that is ready for an efficacy trial.

Supported a system to prepare the paraprofessional workforce to better contribute as team members in education by maintaining four training and technical assistance Web sites for the Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium of state agency representatives, educators, paraprofessionals, parents, and others.

Assesses the relationship between employment customization strategies and vocational outcomes. It will also validate a training and mentorship approach for improving the skills of Direct Support Professionals who serve as employment consultants or job developers in two states.

Studies state data on students with disabilities, the consequences of assessment options, and possible instruction and assessment changes for these students. More specifically, the project explores:

1. How student data gathered by states can be used to improve student assessment and instruction for students with disabilities,
2. The intended and unintended consequences of various assessment options for students with disabilities, and
3. How the instruction and assessments of students who may qualify for an AA-MAS may need to be changed to ensure that there are high expectations for learning and that the students will have the opportunity to demonstrate what they know.

Analyzes data from 25 states and 4 sub-state regions on more than 12,000 randomly sampled individuals with developmental disabilities to examine lifestyles and service outcomes, and individual program and service factors that predict them. Conducts national analyses of the adult consumer survey, adult family survey, child family survey, and family guardian survey. Project findings are disseminated primarily through publications in professional peer reviewed journals.

Provides resources for teachers, program leaders, and individuals to use in teaching and supporting young adults with disabilities in relation to civic engagement and voting, and motivating them to be involved in the political process.

Developed the National Standards and Quality Indicators: Transition Toolkit for Systems Improvement, a research-based tool to help school systems and communities identify what all youth need to succeed in postsecondary education, civic engagement, employment, and adult life. The Institute's National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) is a member of the alliance. ICI's participation in the alliance was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.

Brought together and built on the research base on high quality, technically sound alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards and alternate assessments based on grade-level achievement standards. Additionally, it provided technical assistance to states as they designed or redesigned their alternate assessments, and demonstrated through the center's partnerships with states high quality design and administration of alternate assessments.

Provides national leadership in designing and building educational assessments and accountability systems that appropriately monitor educational results for all students, including students with disabilities and students who are English Language Learners (ELLs). NCEO has a rich set of reports and other publications on a range of topics related to educational outcomes of students. It receives funding from the federal government, states, and several other organizations.

Focuses on improved access and success for students with disabilities in secondary and postsecondary education, as well as employment, independent living, and community participation. Activities include training for educators and other professionals; technical assistance to organizations, schools, and agencies; twice monthly electronic newsletter; and distribution of over 80 NCSET publications through its Web site.

Provides training and technical assistance, and conducts research, that support state and local policies to promote full access to high quality workforce development services on the part of youth with disabilities. The Institute's National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) is a partner in the Collaborative, which is housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership, Washington, DC.

Brings together in one place the nation's premier resources on the topic of Direct Support, with the goal of improving the quality, recruitment, and retention of the Direct Service workforce nationwide.

Establishes training programs nationwide to assist persons with disabilities in practicing self-determination in their lives.

Gathers, maintains, and analyzes data on publically funded residential and in-home supports for people with disabilities.

More specifically, the project:

Gathers and maintains annual statistics and longitudinal trend data on Medicaid and state funded residential and in-home supports for people with disabilities;

Conducts a biannual survey of all public residential facilities to report status and trends in populations, funding, costs, and closures;

Collaborates with Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) and National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) to analyze quality outcome data from surveys of adults in 35 states in the National Core Indicators project;

Conducts special surveys of key public policy and program issues in residential and community supports; and

Maintains resource repositories on costs and outcomes of community supports and factors influencing those outcomes such as staff recruitment, retention and training challenges.

Provides ongoing assistance to individuals, government agencies, public and private organizations, media outlets and others on residential and community supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Publishes annual reports on the status and trends in residential and community living supports (see http://rtc.umn.edu/residential/projects1.asp), as well as special reports on policies related to individual and family supports. Maintains the Quality Mall.org Web site which indexes information about innovation in community support. Other RISP publications include: Trends and Milestones (published in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities), Policy Research Brief (published collaboratively with the Research and Training Center on Community Living); and Community Services Reporter (published monthly by NASDDDS).

Described the status of the development and implementation of alternate assessments that were based on alternate achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Conducts information gathering and needs assessments, provides technical assistance, and engages in dissemination to improve results for students with disabilities by increasing their participation rates in high-quality assessment and accountability systems, improving the quality of assessments in which they participate, improving the capacity of states to meet data collection requirements, and strengthening accountability for results.

Provides technical assistance and dissemination support to state education and lead agencies in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin as they seek to sustain systems change efforts that improve educational results and accountability for children and youth with disabilities and their families.

Engages in research on and development of accessible reading assessments that provide a valid demonstration of reading proficiency for increasingly diverse populations of students in public schools, and particularly for those students who have disabilities that affect reading.

Conducts six annual case studies of exemplary initiatives in transformation of community living or employment supports, and two annual case studies of exemplary Direct Support Professional workforce development initiatives. The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals and the Institute's Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC) will present "Moving Mountains" Awards for initiatives in Direct Support workforce development at periodic Reinventing Quality conferences.

Provides resources and information on leading-edge, person-centered supports for use by individuals with disabilities, families, advocates, government officials, and service providers, in a wide variety of topical areas from across the country.

Provided training to Ramsey County's Developmental Disability service team, county case managers, contracted vocational and residential providers, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities about the role each can play to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in living healthy lifestyles (focusing on physical activity and nutrition).

Showcases best practices in person-centered supports from across the nation.

Conducts a wide range of research, training, and technical assistance and dissemination projects related to community supports under its center grant and related project funding. The RTC is a designated Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Employment of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Engages in development of a seamless and flexible system of student progress monitoring to be used in K-12 schools across ages, abilities, and curricula. The system that results from RIPM's research will be used to evaluate the effects of individualized instruction on access to and progress in the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, resulting in improved instructional decision-making and more successful instructional programs in general education for students with disabilities. RIPM's funded activities have ended and the center is now disseminating the findings from its five years of research and development.

Assesses current measures and instruments on participation and community living. It provides comprehensive identification, review, and assessment measures related to participation and community living and creates a compendium of the most valid, reliable, useful, and widely-used measures, instruments, and outcome-measurement programs.

Develops a model for making Web sites accessible for people with intellectual and related cognitive disabilities, and launches an educational and networking Web site for teens and adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities targeted at those who participate in organized self-advocacy groups.

Conducts a nine-year longitudinal study to ascertain the consequential evidence of the AA-AAS used within the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The goal of this project is to collect and analyze data to investigate, ascertain, and inform States of the consequential evidence characteristics of their AA-AAS.

Develops a state-of-the-science conference about the most influential theories, principles, and concepts ("big ideas") that shape policy and practices in community supports for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Experts and a comprehensive literature review identify and rank the eight most important ideas in recent decades, and conference participants will debate the findings and reach consensus priorities for continuing research on them.

Developed a culturally-sensitive two-year degree program as well as three certificate programs to prepare American Indian students to succeed in small business and entrepreneurship.

Creates an AA degree in radiography, and certificates in phlebotomy, ultrasound, and mammography at Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in Red Wing and Winona, Minnesota.

Supports the successful transition of American Indian students at Cass Lake Bena High School on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota to postsecondary education using a college preparatory model designed to increase competency and skills in challenging subject matter, including mathematics and science, in a culturally-relevant manner.

Engages in research and development to improve reading assessments for students with visual impairments or blindness, examining the properties of existing assessments for these students and developing an assessment of reading with a particular focus on independent technology assisted reading.

Provided advanced leadership training in disability advocacy, policy, and services for a delegation of nine government officials, missionaries, educators, and advocates from Zambia in southern Africa, conducted in partnership with four Twin Cities disability organizations (Arc Greater Twin Cities, Fraser, St. David's Child Development and Family Services, and Opportunity Partners).